Urban Bee Condos (Vancouver)

Pollinators Paradise (from the website): With over 150 volunteer 'bee stewards', the project has established 150 mason bee homes and nectar-rich plantings across the City of Vancouver. Volunteers have agreed to maintain and monitor the condos for two years, reporting in on a monthly basis on bee habitation and activity. They have also agreed to not use pesticides in their garden. Funded by Environment Canada's EcoAction Community Funding Program, TD Friends of the Environment Foundation, Canadian Wildlife Federation, and the Vancouver Foundation, the program will run until October 2010.

We have chosen to focus our attention on the Blue Orchard Mason Bee (Osmia lignaria), a native bee species that can be used effectively in educational campaigns. They are non-aggressive, propagate easily and are extremely effective pollinators, particularly of apples, cherries, and pears.

Urban gardens are a great way to restore habitat, and as a response to this, the Environmental Youth Alliance's is working with the community to, in some small way, help create new habitat for pollinators that is essential to keeping plant communities diverse and productive.

Even some "super lodges" for the mason bees were installed at the following public locations: Stanley Park (Rose Garden Pagoda), Everett Crowley Park (Great Pyramids), Jericho Park (Yaletown) - 53 public condos in total.

For more info:
Vancouver Foundation Article: Condo market for bees is buzzing

Vancouver Sun Article: Bee Condos Placed in City Parks

Britannia (Vancouver) Neighborhood News "Condo Installed in Napier Square Greenway"

Mason Bee Condo Picture and Mason Bee Sign Picture from Vancouver is Awesome Blog